You Damn Well Know
by Kagaya Chou
Summary: I don't know what you're talking about, Raido muttered. Genma scowled, You damn well know. WAFF Rated for... uh... language. Yeah.


COMMENTS: Prologue or drabble, I wrote this on March 6, 2005. The idea came from Devo-sama's pics. Been meaning to write SOMETHING about Genma and Raido, and SOMETHING to get myself out of this art/fic BLOCK... Happy Birthday ne, Shi-chan! If it sounds OOC, it's because I took liberties with their personalities, since they're such interesting, unexplored characters. Do they swear much? Maybe if they're upset enough.

DISCLAIMER: Masashi Kishimoto is the mangaka. Hayato Date is the director of the anime, which was released by Studio Pierrot. No profit will be made out of this fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended. The only thing I own here is this piece of writing.

JAPANESE: Because sometimes I don't want to use a different language for these things.

sempai: n, senior (Raido is older than Genma by two years).

jounin: n, upper class ninja (as opposed to choujin and genin, which are middle and lower class ninja, respectively) - also means lover if different kanji are used.

senbon: n, porcupine needle (Haku uses these instead of shuriken, the small throwing blades most ninja in Naruto tend to use).

kamikaze: n, 'divine wind' — which came into being as the name of a typhoon that saved Japan from a Mongol invasion fleet in 1281. In English, however, it usually refers to suicide moves in battle.

**You Damn Well Know**

"I don't know," Raido muttered, "what you are talking about." He woke up on a hospital bed, bandaged and dazed. Genma was scowling at him, arms crossed over his chest, shoulders tense.

"You damn well know what I'm talking about, sempai. I asked if you were suicidal." Light brown eyes bore down at black ones. Genma heatedly continued, "If you wanted to die so badly, did you have to throw yourself in front of me like that? Or were you trying to protect me, jounin that I am? Because I saw it coming, I could have dodged. I can take care of myself a helluva lot better than you can, apparently!" He paused to breath, while Raido wondered how he could talk so much, and so clearly around the senbon in his mouth. "Did you even _realize_ you could have died?"

Raido raised a hand to scratch his nose, only to touch gauze. He grimaced, wondering what happened to his face. The silence indicated that Genma was still waiting for a reply. "Yes... I'm not stupid."

"That's what I _thought_." came Genma's curt response.

The older man sighed and closed his eyes.

"Then why..." The anguished tone made him look again. The younger man was glaring at him intensely. "Why?"

Raido shrugged and looked to the side. "They say you're to die for."

Silence.

"Fuck you!"

Raido blinked, then gaped at his teammate's unexpected outburst, seconds before Genma grabbed the front of his hospital gown, ranting.

"I don't need you to die for me! I don't need an idiotic death on my conscience, and I don't want to have to explain in the reports, to the Sandaime Hokage, to the rest of the Ashinami family, and now you're telling me, "They say you're to die for." What kind of an answer is that?"

Raido coughed, prying at Genma's fingers. "I don't have family. Look, I'm not dead. I'm sorry."

Genma's grip loosened for a moment, then tightened again. "Sorry for what? Not _dying_?"

"For nearly putting my death on your conscience..." Raido paused. "I'm not suicidal. I know you're good. I just..." It was Genma's first mission. "I wasn't thinking straight."

"Damn right, you weren't." Still disgruntled, Genma released Raido's shirt, opting to run a hand through his own brown hair in frustration. "You..." Their gazes locked again. "You and I are gonna make a pact."

Raido stared, uncomprehending.

"So long as we work together, I live, you live. No kamikaze maneuvers because you feel like becoming a martyr for any reason whatsoever, got that?"

"... Genma-" He barely got the name out before he was interrupted, which was probably a good thing, given that he was about to tell the younger man that his concern was endearing.

"Just say it, sempai."

Raido relented. "... So long as we're together, I live, you live." He wondered if that was enough.

"No kamikaze attempts at martyrdom," Genma repeated.

Nodding, Raido continued, "No kamikaze attempts."

Genma briefly smiled, then added, "You know, you're gonna be Scar Face from now on."

Tracing the gauze over the bridge of his nose and his left cheek, Raido frowned. "... I figured. It _is_ better than dying." His brow creased, "How bad is it?"

The younger man looked away. "... Better."

"An improvement, huh?"

"Don't even joke about using that as an excuse, Raido."

The older man chuckled, then blinked in surprise. "... Thanks."

Raising an eyebrow, Genma asked, "For what?"

Raido grinned at him. "You finally said my name."

"... Oh, fuck you. If that's the only thing you heard-"

"Yes, if you insist."

It took a moment for Genma to start blushing. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

OMAKE:

"So long as we're together, you jump, I jump, got that?"

"... Genma-" He barely got the name out before he was interrupted, which was probably a good thing, given that he was about to tell the younger man "The Titanic" was out-of-date, but any mention of the film would have resulted in watching the 3 hour monster all over again.

"Just say it, sempai."

Raido sighed. "No! For the last time, jump if you damn well want to. If I have to hear this one more time, you jump, I kick!"

NOTE: It started with "Genma+Raidou--yesteryear", by Devo-sama. Check it out:  
http/ www. deviantart. com/ view/ 14979901/

See their old world,  
Their black and white world,  
Their sepia-toned memories, gone youthful days:  
See the casual way one drapes an arm over the other's shoulder,  
And how his companion returns the gesture, lightly, about the waist.

They touch,  
Because they like to,  
Because it lets the world see what they don't say:  
That they'll always play, train, work together,  
And one day to be buried, side by side, if they don't die that way.

Thank you


End file.
